Local Government Financing — regrets the cuts — rejected — 29 Jun 2010 at 21:51

The majority of MPs voted to reject a motion^[1] on Local Government Finance which had been tabled by the acting leader of the opposition Harriet Harman. The rejected motion read:

• That this House
• regrets the decision of the Government to introduce £1.165 billion of cuts to local government funding in England in the current financial year;
• regrets the Liberal Democrat members of the Government supporting cuts they opposed during the general election campaign;
• notes the promise in the Coalition Agreement to ‘ensure that fairness is at the heart of those decisions so that all those most in need are protected’;
• regrets that this programme of cuts fails to meet this test of fairness, as they fall disproportionately on the hardest-pressed communities;
• notes with concern the principle set out by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on 10 June that ‘those in greatest need ultimately bear the burden of paying off the debt’;
• condemns the failure of the Secretary of State to tell the House or local authorities where £504 million of cuts to funding will fall;
• further regrets the failure to consult local government on the allocation of the cuts;
• further notes with regret that the Government’s further decisions on the Future Jobs Fund, housing and support for neighbourhood policing will weaken the ability of local councils to shape and deliver services in their areas;
• regrets the failure to make any progress on implementing the previous administration’s commitment to Total Place, enabling local authorities to deliver real efficiency savings and contribute to reducing the deficit while protecting frontline services; and
• resolves that decisions affecting local government spending should be based on the principles of fairness, protection of frontline services and promotion of growth.

The vote was followed immediately by a further division during which a government amendment was accepted by MPs^[2].

• [1] House of Commons Order of Business Tuesday 29 June 2010
• [2] Local Government Finance Division Two 29th June 2010 - Description contains full text of motion as replaced by a Government amendment]

Debate in Parliament | Source |